ColdplayCorner.com interview with Mila Fürstová
We interviewed Mila Fürstová as part of her collaboration and her role in the creation and making of the universe and artwork of the album Ghost Stories.
Hello Mila, thank you for having accepted to answer our questions.
-First, can you present yourself? When did you start drawing and creating? What was the triggering factor to your career?
I grew up in Czechoslovakia and it definitely impacted my art. All travel outside the communist block was practically forbidden. This I think made the whole mentality of my country very introverted. This is of course a terrible breach of freedom for generation of my parents and grandparents; however I was very lucky that my family has given me a childhood full of love. I wasn’t aware of what political system was ruling and even of the injustices that my family were facing themselves.
In a political system where people experience a lack of freedom, imagination, tradition and storytelling become even more important and I feel that the exploration of the inner world rather than the world outside has made me a kind of a dreamer and the artist that I am now.
Etching is an extraordinary and beautiful technique that is neglected in contemporary art. It allows for meditative thought, it can be unpredictable and requires a level of humility to understand it….. just like anything that is worth understanding.
-Can you describe your universe? Where does all this inspiration come from?
When I started studying art, I always worked very hard searching for inspiration and for my own language. At the begging it felt like I couldn’t do it, but I just kept working because art was what I loved doing. One day, someone in Britain told me that they visited Czech Republic where I come from and they could see that my work is « quite Czech ». Whether it is true or not, this made me realize that when you are an artist, your language actually finds you if you just keep working with honesty and passion.
Through my career there have been times when I would struggle to find inspiration for new works, but now I just try to always keep my eyes open and collect visual material which attracts me, even if I don’t know the reason for it. I may just discover the reason later…sometimes years later.
- For how long have you been working with Coldplay? How have you found yourself working with them?
I was brought to the group by their 5th member Phil Harvey who was already familiar with my work after he discovered it by chance in London.
This particular project has taken almost two years and has been the most fantastic and inspiring cooperation that I have ever experienced.
- What kind of relations did you have with the band?
There is definitely more than memories popping out when you mention Ghost Stories.
And Phil he is an extremely important member of the group, he is the visionary art director a great thinker and also the kindest man that you can imagine. I think Chris Martin once said that everyone needs a Phil in their life.
I always knew that Coldplay are extremely talented and unique musicians but meeting them in person had superseded any of my expectations.
- Did they have a clear idea about what they wanted or were you free to interpret things your way and they would do a choice then?
Initially, I worked on the brief for Ghost Stories with Phil; we talked in great detail about various directions. Then I met with Chris who told me what his vision for the album cover was.
To be honest, at the beginning I struggled to draw anything that would feel right. We all realized that we are just going to have to know each other's way of thinking. Phil organized for a large number of my artworks to be displayed in Coldplay London recording studio, so the band members had time to look at it and choose aspects of it they liked.
To cut a very long story short, Chris was very drawn to my work Blue Dream III and the wings that I have drawn there. It was him who saw that if the wings are repositioned they can read as a broken heart. And that was the most decisive moment in this whole commission.
- What method have you used to create these artworks? How were you immerging yourself into this world?
I have created all the artworks for Ghost Stories in the process of etching.
Etching is an extraordinary and beautiful technique that is neglected in contemporary art. It allows for meditative thought, it can be unpredictable and requires a level of humility to understand it...just like anything that is worth understanding.
Etching is an ancient technique, first developed in 15th century. When making an etching, I work on a zinc plate which I heat up and cover with a thin layer of a special wax called etching ground. Once the plate has cooled down, I smoke the wax layer with a candle in order to achieve a black surface. When this is done, the plate is ready for drawing. I draw onto it with a thin needle gently scratching away the layer of the blackened wax exposing the silver plate underneath.
All lines drawn in this way are later etched when I submerge the entire plate into a bath of acid solution.
Once the plate has been etched, I remove it from the acid and wash off the wax with white spirits.
At this stage, I take the plate and push different coloured inks into the etched lines and smooth the surface with cloth to achieve the tonality I want. Finally, I put the plate onto an etching press and cover it with damp paper, after rolling it through an impression is taken...and that is what etching is.
- Was the band demanding with you? Was it kind of a challenge for you?
The band gave me access to all the songs on the new album that were held in such strict privacy and Chris told me that he wants me to have an absolute freedom in what I draw in them.
Only a true artist can allow this because they know that to make real art there has to be total honesty, the artist have to feel deeply what they are saying. This was a beautiful gesture as I felt they have allowed me inside them.
From that day, I listened to Ghost Stories every day and I was falling in love with the music and the lyrics and I just allowed the imagery to flow straight onto my etching plate. No prior sketching...I just drew what felt right.
- The next Album Artist's exhibition (where we can see and buy Ghost Stories art in favour of Kids Company) takes place in December, can you tell us about the preparation.
Yes we are preparing an overall show of my works for the Coldplay Ghost Stories. After I drew the wings for the album cover, I also made etchings for three singles. There are a lot of sketches for those and many different versions of the etchings themselves. In this show we will exhibit publicly for the first time what had to be kept secret during the 2 years of working on this project.
The show will open on 3d of December and the band is planning to be there. It will then be opened to public between 4th and 7th of December. The show is organised by Album Artist whose director Fraser Kee Scott is the person who first organised the meeting between Coldplay and myself and who has been my agent through this project.
All artworks will be for sales and Coldplay and myself have decided that the proceeds should go to their charity Kids Company. If any of your readers are interested in seeing the show, please just contact Fraser at www.albumartists.co.uk/.
- Can you talk about your involvement with Kids Company, for how long have you been supporting this charity?
I have often given my work to raise money for charity and somehow charities that help children are very close to my heart. I feel strongly that every child deserves to be loved and the Kids Company is helping to show children how much they matter.
- What is your best memory from this collaboration?
My favourite moment was when just before the final concert of the Ghost Stories tour the band has invited me into their pre-show huddle. We all held each other and Chris had said how grateful they are that they met such inspirational artist as me and thank me for all the art I created for the album. I was so touched and humbled by this experience.
- Were you a fan of Coldplay before this collaboration? Did you become one?
I have always felt really close to what Coldplay are saying in in their music, they have always resonated with me.
But now...I think I would have to say they are almost a part of me. I have never worked so closely with anyone before. I allowed them totally inside my art and they did the same for me. I was a beautiful work of trust, poetry and humanity.
- What is your favourite song from Ghost Stories?
They change depending where I am in my thoughts. "A Sky Full of Stars" is the one that I feel I have always known...and the last one "o"...about the flock of birds...is so sublime and true that it feels like a prayer and touches me on a deepest level.
- Did you have the chance to attend a concert on the little Ghost Stories's tour? Was it your first Coldplay concert?
The band invited me to their July concert at the Royal Albert Hall. It was whole like a dream. Their performance was just breath-taking and they were projecting my artwork on to the ceiling of the hall. I just could not believe that this was really happening, especially as the Royal Albert Hall was a place where my graduation from the Royal College of Art took place years before.....if you were to tell me then what was to happen, I would tell you that you are crazy :)!
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Thank you for your answers. Good luck for the future and we wish you a lot of success.
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You can read the interview on our website (coldplaycorner.com)
French > http://j.mp/itw-mila | English > http://j.mp/itw-mila-eng